Vienna Intercity Transportation

• Flights: The Wien-Schwechat Flughafen ( VIE; ☎01 700 70; www.viennaairport.com), 18km from the city center, is home to Austrian Airlines (☎01 517 89; www.aua.com). The cheapest way to reach the city, the S-Bahn (☎65 17 17) stops at Wien Mitte (30min., 2-3 per hr., €3). The Vienna Airport Lines bus (☎930 00 23 00) takes 20min. to reach Südbahnhof and 40min. to Westbahnhof (2 per hr.; €6, round-trip €11). The City Airport Train ( CAT; ☎01 25 250; www.cityairporttrain.com) takes only 16min. to reach Wien Mitte (2 per hr. 6:05am-11:35pm; purchased online €8, round-trip €15; from a ticket machine €9, round-trip €16; on board €10; Eurail not valid.)
• Regional Hubs: The M.R. Štefánik International Airport ( BTS; ☎48 57 11 11; www.letiskobratislava.sk) in Bratislava, Slovakia serves as a gateway to Western Europe. In addition to domestic flights from Slovakia, budget airlines SkyEurope (☎48 50 11 11; www.skyeurope.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com; see Transportation) run shuttle buses to and from Vienna (1-1½hr., 7-8 per day, 363Sk). Vienna-bound trains (☎20 29 11 11; www.zsr.sk) depart from Bratislava Hlavná Stanica hourly (1hr., round-trip 283Sk). Buses make a similar journey, leaving from Mlynské nivy 31 (1hr., every hr., 400Sk). Another option is to sail to Vienna (1hr., 2 per day, 150Sk) with Lodná osobná doprava, Fajnorovo nábr. 2 (☎52 93 22 26; open daily 8:30am- 5:30pm).
• Trains: Vienna has 2 main train stations with international connections. Call ☎05 17 17 (24hr.) or check www.oebb.at for detailed train info. Credit cards accepted.
• • Westbahnhof, XV, Mariahilferstr. 132. Info counter open daily 7:30am-9pm. Trains go to: Amsterdam, NTH (12hr., 4 per day, €135); Berlin, GER (9-11hr., 1 per 2hr., €100-130); Budapest, HUN (3hr., 17 per day, €36); Hamburg, GER (9-12hr., 6 per day, €80); Innsbruck (4-5hr., 7 per day, €54); Munich, GER (5hr., 10 per day, €72); Paris, FRA (14-24hr., 2 per day, €70-160); Salzburg (2-3hr., every hr., €43); Zürich, SWI (9hr., 3 per day, €88).
  • Südbahnhof, X, Wiener Gürtel 1a. Info counter open daily 7am-8pm. Trains go south and east to: Graz (2hr., every hr., €30); Kraków, POL (7hr., 4 per day, €46); Prague, CZR (4-5hr., 8 per day, €44); Rome, ITA (13-18hr., 6 per day, €75-100); Venice, ITA (7-11hr., 6 per day, €50-70).
• Buses: Buses in Austria are rarely cheaper than trains; compare prices before buying a ticket. Postbus (☎0810 222 333; www.postbus.at) provides regional bus service and Eurolines (☎798 29 00; www.eurolines.at) connects to international destinations. Buses leave from the city stations at Erdberg, Floridsdorf, Heiligenstadt, Hütteldorf, Kagran, Reumannpl., and Wien Mitte/Landstr.
• Hitchhiking: Some travelers report riding tram #67 to the last stop and waiting at the roundabout near Laaerberg. Those headed for Salzburg take U4 to Hütteldorf; the highway is 10km farther. Let’s Go does not recommend hitchhiking.